Chapter 37

President Ronald Strump was overwhelmed by what he saw wearing the contact lens. Having the invention, he believed, would enable him to control global events in a way that the United States had never been able to do before. He envisioned reading the thoughts of world leaders, Congress, state and local leaders, his armed forces, and his cabinet. He wanted Danders to remain so that he and Stone could develop monitoring devices that would allow him to read the thoughts of everyone in his administration at all times. That computing power was not available. The president was in effect asking to use a technology still in its infancy called quantum computing. This powerful tool would someday accommodate the president’s needs, but not now. He asked Danders to stay and work on this, but Danders declined, leaving the president frustrated and pissed. He was more upset when he learned that another group, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, was getting the invention as well.

President Strump asked the group to leave the room for a moment while he contacted the attorney general. He wanted to know if he could force Danders and Stone to work on the quantum computing/thought-reading project by executive order. Unlike being able to tell U. S. businesses not to trade with China, he was told that he did not have that power. He fired the attorney general, and had Danders come back into the room.

“I just fired the attorney general because I didn’t like his answer to my question Danders saw that he was telling the truth. He used meditation to control his thoughts so that the president could not read his.

“I think you and Stone have a patriotic duty to work on my project.”

“Mr. Stone and I have finished our role in this project, Mr. President. We could have sold it and walked away, but after finding out what kind of person Evan McGowan is, we felt it our patriotic duty to provide our armed forces with it as well. Our country needs protection from evildoers. Because no one in the world is further along in the development of this invention, and because you have access to the best minds in the world, sir, we are certain that changes can be made to it that you and the Department of Defense require to keep our country safe. No one can be allowed to use it for evil purposes. No one. I’m sure you agree, Mr. President,” said Danders.

Strump stared at Danders for a long time, trying to read his thoughts, without success, before telling the Secretary of Defense, General Steele, and Summa to rejoin them. Danders saw that the president was agitated and was glad to hear him dismiss him and Summa, with an insincere thank you and a warning.

“The United States will not permit your invention to be used by anyone outside the government, Mr. Danders. We will not allow it to fall into the wrong hands.”

“Sorry Mr. President, but that horse is out of the corral. Confiscation of it will not be a wise move; an announcement telling to whom Mr. Stone and I have given it to is being made today.”

Danders made eye contact with the mystified Steele as he left the Oval Office.

President Strump fired off a tweet announcing the “the GREATEST country in the world, the USA has the GREATEST Invention in the world! We can READ people’s MINDS!! CAN’T fool me, er, us now you stoopid bastards! No FAKE NEWS here! Stone and Danders need to do their patriotic duty and work with me! Screw you China!”

The tweet went viral. Many people thought it funny and that it was further proof that Strump was insane; some cheered the prospect; some were scared to death at the prospect; everyone asked who in the hell Stone and Danders were; the Chinese plotted to steal the invention.

“This is better than ours,” the president whispered to the Secretary of Defense shortly after his tweet, pointing to the lens in his eye. “But I need more than it provides. I fired the attorney general because he disappointed me. He said I have no authority to force Stone and Danders to work on improving it. That’s bullshit. If I want someone to work on a national security issue then goddamn it, they will, even if I have to kidnap them. Mr. Secretary, have the CIA secure them and move them to our closest project facility. Do it quickly before they leave.”

“Mr. President, we can’t kidnap U.S. citizens! It’s illegal, and what’s worse, it’s bad politics. We have other worries—McGowan has an older version of Stone’s invention.”

“All the more reason to detain them and grab Stone and Danders, wherever they are!”

“We can’t, Mr. President. We can’t justify it with any argument. You will be crucified in the press and probably impeached by the Congress. Your ratings will nosedive; you’ll become a pariah in your own party. Your donors will leave you. The only person who might support you is Vladimir Putin.”

“I love Vlad. He has balls, unlike you. Detain them, arrest them, kidnap them, I don’t care how, or what you call it, but get them. That’s an order.”

The Secretary of Defense was a proud man—loved his country, heretofore was loyal to his boss—but he could not abide this order.

“You’ll have my resignation within an hour, Mr. President. I cannot do this.”

The president was shocked, but only for a moment. He thought the Secretary of Defense would ultimately support his decision because he was heretofore loyal. Although this was the twenty-seventh resignation or firing of someone in his cabinet within seventeen months, the president never considered himself to be operating outside of the law. He knew everything, he was always right; he was the smartest, nicest, least judgmental person he knew. Why didn’t people see that?

“You are a gutless, small person who doesn’t understand how important it is that I get my way. Only I can save this great country of ours from the zillions of people who want to destroy it. Get out of this great Oval Office and the White House before I have you thrown out.”

“How about you, General Steele? Can I count on you to seize these men?”

“I agree with the secretary, Mr. President. There is no basis to take that action.”

“You’re fired! You miserable, spineless wuss. No wonder I can’t trust the military.”

The general and secretary shook hands as they left the Oval Office. Initially at odds, they had become friends over the last seventeen months. They worried about the future; the invention was in the hands of the two most powerful men on the planet, both of whom craved one thing: power.

“I am going to speak with Danders, then I’ll be in touch, ‘gutless’,” the general said with a smile.

“Don’t let it be too long, ‘spineless’,” responded an unsmiling Secretary of Defense.

“Gary, we need to talk with the Secretary of Defense. The president wants to kidnap you and Stone to work on the invention. Where’s Stone?” Steele asked.

“Not sure. When I reach him, I’ll tell him to stay where he is. There’s no point in exposing himself to McGowan’s or the president’s prying eyes.”

“Good idea.”

“I’m beginning to think that McGowan and the president are one and the same. They look alike, talk alike, and have similar temperaments, creepy eyes, and lack of concern for anyone who won’t be subservient to them.”

“And I think they both suffer from delusions of grandeur,” answered Steele.

“You are not alone.”

“Contact me when you hear from Stone. In the meantime, keep driving as fast as you can away from here. I would send some of my men to escort you, but then you’d have to tell me where you are. This phone line is secure, but I can’t guarantee that my men won’t be monitored.”

“Will do, general. Take care of yourself.”

“Former general. Always do.”